Free part cooked pie but I don't know how long to re-heat

kippers

Can anyone help me?

My dad gave me a sausage meat & veg pie yesterday (not sure exactly what is in it), that he said he part cooked for 45 mins. I am very grateful as our money situation is not good at the moment.

However, i haven't a clue how to long to re-heat it or even finish cooking it as he said it's only part cooked.

Could anyone advise me how long and what gas mark to use? The pie is in a square foil dish that is 8 1/2 inchs on eacg side and the pie is 1 1/2 inch deep with shortcrust pastry on top (i'm worried i'll burn the pastry and ruin it).

(By the way, i am so glad i have all of you wise owls to ask, i don't know what i'd do without you all)

Thank you for any replies

JulieGeorgiana

kippers wrote: »

Have you posted this by accident?

Nope, I think it's spam! New user with only 4 posts... all about the same website! Hmmmm!

Anyway, about the pie... I would say cook it low in the oven, on a low heat for a long while... if the crust is looking too cooked, wrap in foil!

Best way to test if it's cooked is to put a skewer in the middle... if it's warm that the pie is cooked... cold... then not cooked!

ceridwen

Ummm.....I tend to think its best to not use it myself. I thought it was supposed to be a dicey idea to reheat part-cooked meat.

I certainly would wait until a "food expert" comes along on this and gives you the "yay" or "nay" definitively - ie "If you do it - then it must be done at at least x temperature for at least y time".

You cant afford to risk vague directions or no directions as to "how to".

tru

I've worked in pubs/cafes and have done food hygiene/safety courses. Officially, you should bin it.

However, at home, I would use it Heat it (gas 5 - I think that's 190 degrees) for about 45 mins. Once it's out of the oven, use a meat themometer to check the temp - make sure the probe is in the thickest part of the food, if you just check the edge, the middle might not be done. It should stay at 65 degrees or above for at least 10 mins. If it doesn't, bung it back in for a while then check again.

babyshoes

I would personally also go with the 'low and slow' approach to make sure it is piping hot in the middle when you serve it - if you don't have a skewer, just use a thin knife to check how hot it is inside.

angeltreats

ceridwen wrote: »

Ummm.....I tend to think its best to not use it myself. I thought it was supposed to be a dicey idea to reheat part-cooked meat.

I certainly would wait until a "food expert" comes along on this and gives you the "yay" or "nay" definitively - ie "If you do it - then it must be done at at least x temperature for at least y time".

You cant afford to risk vague directions or no directions as to "how to".

If he's already baked it for 45 minutes, unless his oven was very low the meat should already be cooked through. I would think you should be ok to reheat it. Put it in the oven at GM 4 until it's piping hot - half an hour should do it, and if the top gets too brown then stick a bit of tinfoil over the top of it. If you have a meat thermometer you need to get it over 75ºC. If you don't have one, whoever said use a skewer had the right idea - preferably a metal one.

You will need to eat it all in one go - you mustn't reheat it again.

angeltreats

tru wrote: »

It should stay at 65 degrees or above for at least 10 mins. If it doesn't, bung it back in for a while then check again.

It's 75 actually, sorry - 65 would be for the initial cook, 75 for a reheat. And it's two minutes, not ten

I spend half my life probing food at work to keep the environmental health people happy :rotfl:

esmf73

Wrap in foil and put in the oven so it heats through rather than burns the pastry. Done this millions of times - look at it this way - if you end up with food poisoning then you'll lose a couple of inches to get you into that really fab outfit for Christmas !!!! (JOKE!) I'd eat it.

tru

2 mins above 75 works out the same as 10 mins above 65, by the time you get to 10 mins the food has cooled the same as at the other rate

And if you understood the above sentence, then well done because I know what I mean in my head but by the time it gets to the keyboard I don't always make sense :rotfl:

tru

I just checked on the Food Standards Agency website. They say 70 degrees for 2 mins, another site says 'above 64' so I suppose it depends on the course leader? Which is a bit worrying :undecided

In my last job, the boss said advice had recently changed but it still works out the same as what Angeltreats has said.

If you're still not sure, go for Angeltreats advice, as she is currently working at it and I'm not

jessicamb

I think it would be safe to eat -45 minutes sounds pretty cooked to me and it just wants heating up and the pastry browning off. Another 30-45 minutes should do it.